Fall For You, Baby
by MashPotatoeSquishBanana
Summary: We know Percy's side of the story during TLO. He was scared of the coming battle, scared of an angry Annabeth blah blah blah. But what about Annabeth? What was she thinking during all those times Percy mysteriously disappeared, left her to worry and when he came back, to pick up the pieces? First chapter is the prologue. Enjoy, readers!
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone. I got this idea while browsing through the PJO Archive and noticed that everybody was doing BOTL stories in Annabeth's POV, but I've yet to see TLO in ANnabeth's POV, so I thought I'd give it a try.**

**Title: Fall For You, Baby**

**Main Characters: Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase**

**Status: TLO, Annabeth's POV**

**Hope you like. :P**

**PROLOGUE**

Several dummies, five quivers of arrows, two bowstrings and one and a half hours later, I'm back in my cabin, insomnia getting the better of me, nursing sore and blistering fingers, purple and throbbing with exhilarating tension and nerves.

Adreneline is pumping through my veins, making me twitchy and susceptible to bouncing knees and limbs that would not stay still.

I decide to settle down and browse Daedalus' laptop.

I can't concentrate, though.

The only thing that is running through my hectic mind is increasing concern for my best friend.

_"He isn't back yet." _

**So, should I continue? I'll only update a chapter every week if I get at least two reviews for each chapter. I don't want to update if nobody is reading.**

**So, tell me your opinion: should I continue, or blow this whole idea over?**

**It's up to you guys.**

**Banana out :P**


	2. Confession Session

**So sorry about the long wait for Chapter One, especially since the first update was only the prologue!**

**Without further ado, I present to you:**

**Chapter One:**

**Confession Session**

The horrible thing about demigod dreams is that they are rarely just dreams. Of course, it could just be my paranoia planting false circumstances in my head, I tell myself as I see Rachel Elizabeth Dare kissing Percy Jackson in my dream, but I know with grim certainty that my conscience is showing me a real scene from my best friend's life.

There's something about the image- fake memories have a certain… 'shiny' quality to them. This one… it's as if I'm actually there, watching this.

A stab of jealousy courses through me. It should be_ me_ kissing Percy before he rides- or, should I say, _flies_- into battle on his pure black Pegasus. Not that red headed she- devil.

A sense of betrayal washes over me. I couldn't imagine kissing anyone else before parading onto a battle field. But, that could just be because I'm held back by my unlikely crush on the guy. He doesn't have the same limitations.

He is free to kiss and date who he likes. I have no possession over him at all… I wish.

The other day, when I caught a son of Apollo obviously flirting with me, I couldn't even bring myself to acknowledge him.

Goes to show how far gone I am.

As I lay awake, listening to the sounds of a couple of Apollo and Ares kids playing a very violent game of soccer (I am actually taking an afternoon nap, so everything else was in full swing), I think about Percy. What is he doing right now?

I hadn't seen him in weeks, ever since he had gone to stay at his mum's for the winter break. We spoke every couple of days, but it just wasn't the same.

I missed him dearly. His clumsiness, his lunacy, his twisted sense of humour, his crooked grin that labelled him as a trouble maker… even his impossibly tousled black hair. All of it. It was just… _him. _

I know that yesterday, he had embarked on a mission to destroy Luke's demon cruise ship _The Princess Andromeda _with Beckendorf, a burly Hephaestus camper who is the only other demigod at Camp who could keep up with my talk about engineering and architecture. Could sometimes even contribute to the conversation.

No word has been sent about whether the boys failed or succeeded on their deadly mission. I'm hoping for the latter, but you can never know with two powerful, probably very smelly demigods, and a ship full of hungry monsters from the depths of Tartarus…

To kill time, so that I don't drive myself insane with worry, I decide to seek out Silena Beauregard. Her boyfriend is also risking his life on this mission.

Not that Percy's _my _boyfriend or anything…

I brace myself against the stench of designer perfume and knock on the Aphrodite cabin's hot pink front door.

A boy who is so handsome he's on the verge of beautiful opens the door a tad. He must be new, because I've never seen him around.

It's not like I've had time to focus on who's new and who's not, so wrapped up in planning strategies for the war as I am.

The boy, around my age, give or take a few years, appraises me in silence. When the extended silence becomes awkward, with me just standing there, arms crossing in what I suppose is an intimidating way, the boy clears his throat, opens the door fully and says, "Daughter of Athena, right?"

I crack as grudging smile. "At least you're not all hopelessly ignorant gossips."

The guy doesn't look offended at all. In fact, he laughs. "I didn't say that. You can be gossipy and intelligent at the same time. I actually learn a lot from listening to the camp gossip." We both chuckle a bit, and the ice is broken.

"Do you want to come in? Or would you like me to get someone for you?" the boy asks.

"Um…" I think it would be rude to say, 'I'd love to come in. Just… do you have any spare gas masks lying around?'

So I settle for saying, "Oh, I was just wondering if you could send Silena out?"

The boy seems to hesitate, then he says, "Um, I can ask for you. I'll be right back."

I wait for about two minutes. Finally, the door opens again and the boy comes out with Silena at his heels. She is wearing a hoodie with the hood pulling down, even though it's nearly the middle of summer.

"I'll just leave you two to it," the boy says, then takes his leave.

Too late, I realise I didn't even get his name.

Silena and I walk in silence to the mess hall.

"So, Silena…" I start awkwardly when the silence becomes unbearable. My mind scrabbles desperately for a topic of conversation. I eventually just say, "Your brother's really… nice." Nice going, Annabeth. Real smooth.

"Yeah, Ravin's pretty cool," Silena mumbles dejectedly, slumping down at the Hephaestus table. Her voice is croaky like she's been… Holy Hades, she's been crying.

"Hey," I say in what I hope is a soothing voice. As you might have noticed, the words 'Annabeth Chase' and 'soothing' do not really work well together.

I don't say anything like 'it'll be okay', or 'they'll be back before you know it.'

It is very likely that those words will be chucked back into my face with dire consequences.

Instead, I said, "Percy and Beckendorf are two of the most powerful and resourceful demigods at Camp Half- Blood. They have a bag full of explosives, a decent plan worthy of Athena," Yeah, right. "They're skilled fighters, wise in battle strategies… need I say more? Honestly, if they were listening to this conversation right now, Percy's head would be so big he wouldn't be able to fit it through his cabin door!" I hope my futile attempt at humour has at least slightly lifted Silena's dampened spirits. I glance furtively down at her. She has lifted her head and her sky blue eyes are red rimmed and bloodshot, full of water ready to leak if one wrong word was uttered.

Oh, sweet Athena, guide my tongue…

"Look, Silena," I begin, helplessly. I am running out of strategies to get her to lift her mood. There is only one way. One thing a daughter of the love goddess can't help but grin at- love, of course. "I'm not going to say 'don't worry', because that would just be hypocritical_"

Silena's mouth twitches. I know I have her hooked. "Worried about Percy?" Silena teases half heartedly, making an effort to try and lighten the mood. I don't bother denying it- she is the daughter of the love goddess, and can probably sense my feelings with her love radar or whatever it's called.

All that matters is that she is back in her element. I shrug and state matter of factly, "Does the whole camp enjoy snooping into other people's business?"

Silena giggles and ducks her head in mock shame. "Guilty. It's just what we do."

On impulse, I lean forward and kiss her on the cheek. "I'll tell you a secret, so listen very closely," I whisper in her ear. She subconsciously squirms closer to me so that she won't miss a word I say.

I gulp. Once I say the words on my mind, Silena will constantly be on my back. But she is my friend, and perhaps she can help me through this. "I. Like. Percy." I mutter.

She squeals so loudly that I'm sure the whole camp goes momentarily deaf.

**Looking forward to Chapter 2? I really am evil, aren't I? I'll let you in on a sneak peek- the title of the second chapter might be: What Words Cannot Convey. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**MashPotatoeSquishBanana**


	3. What Words Cannot Convey

**So sorry about the long wait! I needed to wait for The Last Olympian to arrive from the Gold Coast Library. I've had half the chapter typed out since the last time I updated, but I needed the book to write the rest. And not to mention the fact that my internet has been stuffing up, so I couldn't access FanFiction. **

**But, anyway, thanks to all who reviewed, very much appreciated. **

**Chapter 2:**

**What Words Cannot Convey**

I can't sleep. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my siblings are restless in their sleep- some snoring, some grunting, moaning, even _laughing_, though there's absolutely nothing funny about being a demigod. Especially a demigod in love.

I sit up and stare out the window. Shrouded in darkness, the camp no longer looks friendly and cheerful, like the place I have come to know as home. It looks more like the deepest, darkest part of the Underworld. And, believe me, I know what I'm talking about.

It literally hurts to admit it, but I'm scared. Of falling asleep. Laugh all you want, but I'm afraid of what my subconscious will show me in my dreams.

I push off the covers, put on my Yankees baseball cap that happens to have the ability to turn the wearer invisible, and tip toe across the cabin. I step on a squeaky floorboard and wince, pausing, glancing furtively around the cabin. No one stirs. I push open the door, creep down the steps, and then I am outside, striding purposefully across the Omega arrangement of cabins.

Towards cabin three.

I hesitate on the porch, reality striking me. What am I doing? But the urge to go in is stronger than my rationality. I push the door and it swings in on its hinges. I am hit in the face with a waft of salt water. I try to ignore the part of me that wonders if I am being warned by an unseen force- perhaps the deity that this cabin is in honour of…

Despite mine and Percy's parents' feud, the smell of salt is comforting. It stirs up my earliest memories of Percy and me, back when I thought he was retarded and useless and ignorant and stupid and reckless. Not that he isn't still stupid, reckless and ignorant… _very _ignorant. Blissfully ignorant.

I let the door slip through my fingers and walk over to Percy's bunk in a daze. Without thinking, I wriggle under his ocean blue and green coloured covers, trying hard to ignore the pair of boxers hanging off the railing above me, and the empty jars of peanut butter everywhere.

His bed is soft, and I sink into a dreamless sleep immediately.

The next morning, I wake to an angry centaur and an even angrier looking Malcolm staring down at me.

"What?" I yawn, stretching. I close my eyes and scratch an itch on my tummy. Then my eyes flash open again, and I realise that I am not in my own cabin. Panic sets in until I remember my late night escape, how I had slept in Percy's bed.

Geez, Annabeth. Get a grip on yourself. You don't go around saying that a guy's not your boyfriend and then sneak out of your cabin and sleep in his bed instead.

This explains the disapproval in Chiron's deep brown eyes and the plain fury etched across Malcolm's face.

I sit up and rub my eyes. "Morning, Chiron," I say airily. "Malcolm," I nod my head in my brother's direction.

"Annabeth." Chiron greets me coldly, crossing his arms over his chest. I gulp. Chiron rarely uses that tone of voice. He especially reserves it for those times when he is really REALLY mad. Like now.

"Yes, Chiron?" I squeak.

"Annabeth," he says again, shaking his head. "I'll have business with you later. After breakfast, report to the Big House. Mr D will not know of this- he'll throw a fit and most likely turn us all into dolphins." Chiron gazes at me sadly. "I expected more of you, Annabeth." And somehow that hurts ten times more than if he had screamed at me and granted me a month of toilet cleaning duty.

I wince, nodding and running my hands through my hair, which is probably a rats' nest of tangles.

Chiron trotted out of the cabin, leaving me with my fuming brother. He's been so silent I forgot he was here.

"Annabeth_"

"Look, Malcolm," I cut in. "Let's not make an issue out of nothing. Really, what was my great crime? I slept in a vacant friend's cabin. Big deal."

"Yes, but if this is what you do when he's not here, what am I supposed to assume you do when he _is _here?" Malcolm counters.

Oh gods. He thinks that Percy and I… That we… "Malcolm!" I cry. "It was a once of, alright? First time, last time. And Percy and I are only friends. It's not like…" By now we are both blushing furiously.

"I was just taking precautions for my little sister…" Malcolm starts backing out of the cabin. "I'll just, um… go now…" He runs.

But now he has put me to thinking. I flop down on Percy's bed, stomach to the mattress. It's not like I haven't thought about this before, but… what if Percy and I actually became… actually formed a relationship that wasn't friendship… if he finally got it through his thick skull to ask me out.

But that brings up another thing. Percy and Beckendorf aren't back yet.

A stab of worry pierces my train of thought. What if Beckendorf is dying right now? Or worse… Percy. His name sends a chill through me.

Something is wrong. Terribly wrong.

The day wears on. I've set Connor Stoll on guard duty at the beach, if Percy were to wash ashore. Travis Stoll is on lookout on Half Blood Hill, keeping Peleus company.

And I… I am waiting in the Big House with Silena, scared that if I were to be around other people, people who would try to convey pity to me, I would snap. Maybe Chiron should have disarmed me. I look wearily at my bronze knife, but still keep it sheathed to my jeans. Old habits die hard, you know?

The sun sinks lower in the sky. I have bitten off all the whites of my nails. Silena has fallen asleep on the worn leather couch. I guess all the worrying has worn her out.

Poor girl.

A horrible thought strikes me. If it comes down to between Percy and Beckendorf, could I choose between them? If only one could come back, would I be glad if it was Percy? Of course. But I'd mourn just as hard for Beckendorf if that were the case.

And if Percy doesn't come back? I try to avoid thinking about that likely possibility. I start gnawing at my fingers again.

The door suddenly bursts open. "Annabeth!" Chiron pants. "Silena! He's back!" I jump up immediately, new life returning to my limbs. Percy. I have to reach him, touch him, be 100% reassured that he was alright, all in one piece.

I shake Silena. None too gently, either. She grumbles something unintelligible, then opens her eyes, her brilliant blue irises glaring at me.

"Hey!" I say. Silena perks up at the contained excitement in my voice. "Guess who's back!" I don't wait for an answer before practically pulling her arm off in my haste to get out the door.

It doesn't even strike me that Chiron said 'he's back', not 'they're back' until I am speeding down the hill, excitement making my heart pound.

Silena and I raced behind Chiron as he galloped towards the sand dunes, eager to hear about the mission.

I can't see past the crowd of demigods, satyrs and nymphs. But then the crowd suddenly stops. I keep following Chiron. Percy's standing at the dining pavilion, not meeting anyone's eyes. Wait a minute- he's alone. That means- oh, no. Crap. Beckendorf didn't survive the mission. Crap. Crap. Crap.

Chiron galloped right over to Percy. If there hadn't been a huge crowd assembled, I'm sure the old centaur would have pulled Percy into a tight embrace in relief. "Percy! Thank the gods. But where…"

That's when I enter the pavilion, running at a mad pace. If we were alone, I might have squeezed him half to death. Kissed him, even. In relief, mind you. Only in relief.

But instead, I grab his arm. "What happened?" A sudden thought strikes me. If he blew up the _Princess Andromeda_, then- "Is Luke_"

"The ship blew up." Percy says in a flat tone of voice that immediately spells trouble for me. "He wasn't destroyed. I don't know where _"

Just then, Silena pushes through the crowd. Oh, no. Please, someone take her away before – "Where's Charlie?" she demands. She looks around, glaring at everybody with bloodshot eyes, like we might be hiding him from her.

Percy looks at Chiron desperately. I bite my lip. This is _not _going to end well. Chiron clears his throat helplessly. "Silena, my dear. Let's talk about this in the Big House_"

"No." Silena mutters. Her expression is heartbroken. "No. _No._" She starts to cry. I feel paralysed. Beckendorf. Gone. It doesn't register. Beckendorf can't just be _gone_.

Finally Clarisse la Rue, daughter of Ares, comes forward. I don't know how the Hades those two got acquainted, but they seem to be on pretty good terms for a daughter of the war god and a daughter of the love goddess.

Clarisse slings her arm around Silena's tiny, quivering shoulders. "C'mon, girl. Let's get to the Big House. I'll make you some hot chocolate." Clarisse speaks in a gentle sort of tone I've never heard before. I am utterly stunned.

Everybody wonders off in twos and threes. Only Chiron and I stay with Percy.

Throughout the whole scene, I haven't even realised that there is tears running down my cheeks. I wipe my face, hoping nobody has noticed. "I'm glad you're not dead, Seaweed Brain," I say. Okay, that's _not _how I wanted that to come out. I had wanted to convey to him… stronger feelings. But Chiron was standing right there, watching us with an intense expression. I met his eyes, and he grinned slightly, a knowing look in his eyes. I blushed and looked away. And the urge to hug Percy hard was becoming stronger and stronger. I clenched my fists.

"Thanks," Percy says, meeting my eyes. Our gazes hold. "Me too."

Chiron puts his hand on Percy's shoulder. "I'm sure you did everything you could, Percy. Will you tell us what happened?"

Percy tells us the story. I gaze down into the valley throughout the whole thing. I can tell he's keeping something from me. I don't press it, though. He'll tell me when he's ready. And it's not like I haven't kept plenty from him over the years.

When Percy concludes his story, Chiron says gravely, "We must call a war council immediately to discuss this spy, and other matters."

"Poseidon mentioned another threat." Percy says. "Something even bigger than the _Princess Andromeda_."

"We will discuss that also," Chiron promises.

"One more thing," Percy takes a deep breath. I brace myself. "When I talked to my father, he said to tell you it's time. I need to know the full prophecy."

I don't see Chiron's reaction. I'm trying to keep my nerves contained. Percy can't see the full prophecy yet! It gave me nightmares for years! And, sure, I was _ten _when I first read it, but _still_.

Percy won't be able to handle it. Much as I like him, I still have to admit that he never really grew up anymore after fourteen.

I only tune back into the conversation when I hear my name. "Annabeth, we will show Percy the truth- all of it. Let's go to the attic."

I reluctantly follow Chiron and Percy to the attic, where Percy will meet his doom.

I can only hope he can maintain his fear to a certain degree, and not show the other campers- or me, for that matter- how much this prophecy will scare him. He is looked up to as a leader. And leaders are not allowed to show weakness.

Well, you know. In my opinion.

**What did you think? Is it too boring? Should I keep going? Think we can get to 15 reviews?**

**Thanks for reading, guys**

**- MashPotatoeSquishBanana**


	4. Around The Ping Pong Table

**Hey, since Christmas is only a couple of days away, I thought I might give you an early Christmas present. Merry Christmas everybody!**

**Chapter 3:**

**Around the Ping Pong Table**

_"A half blood of the eldest dogs…" _Percy reads, his brow creased in concentration.

"Er, Percy?" I interrupt. "That's gods, not dogs."

"Oh, right," he says vaguely, staring at the dry bit of parchment that pretty much holds his future. His hands are shaking.

_"A half blood of the eldest gods,  
Shall reach sixteen against all odds…"_

Percy stops reading, leaving a deadly quiet. An aura of frightened anticipation has settled over the room.

_"And see the world in endless sleep,  
The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap," _Oh, no. it was that exact line that had plagued my nightmares for many years after I read the prophecy.

I shudder involuntarily.

"Percy," Chiron urges, anxiety lacing his tone. "Read the rest."

_"A single choice shall… shall end his days,  
Olympus to per – pursue _"_

"Preserve," I correct in a gentle tone of voice. "It means to save."

"I know what it means," Percy grumbles, his voice wavering slightly.

_"Olympus to preserve or raze." _He finishes, his eyes still boring holes in the paper. He looks frightened.

The room is quiet. Nobody dares to break the silence. Finally, Connor Stoll says, "Raise is good, isn't it?"

"Not raise." Silena says hollowly. I look at her, surprised that she has even spoken at all. "R-a-z-e means 'destroy'."

Percy still looks dazed. To clear it up for him, I add in my two cents worth. "Obliterate," I say. "Annihilate. Turn to rubble."

"Got it," Percy says in a voice that makes me want to hug him tightly and take all his burdens away. "Thanks."

"You see now, Percy, why we thought it best not to tell you the full prophecy. You've had enough on your shoulders_"

"Without realising I was going to die in the end anyway?" Percy retorts. A cold feeling starts to creep through my body. "Yeah, I get it." Percy finishes, glancing around the room, meeting everybody's fearful, concerned, or pitiful eyes.

I have to say something to Percy before _he_ says something rash. "Percy," I start. "You know prophecies always have double meanings. It might not literally mean that you die."

"Sure," he counters. "_A single choice shall end his days. _Thathas tons of meaning, right?"

"Maybe we can stop it," Jake Mason offers. "_The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. _Maybe we could find this cursed blade and destroy it. Sounds like Kronos's scythe, right?"

That cold feeling from before is beginning to chill me from head to toe. I start to tremble.

"Perhaps we should let Percy think about these lines." Chiron says. "He needs time_"

"No." Percy says angrily, folding up the prophecy and shoving it in his pocket. A furious light shines in his eyes. "I don't need time. If I die, I die. I can't worry about that, right?"

Only Percy would say that he can't worry about dying. I hug myself, trying to quench the fear building inside of me. I can't lose Percy. Not after Luke.

"Let's move on," Percy says quickly. "We've got other problems. We've got a spy."

I don't want to move on. I don't want Percy to die.

But I look up just as Michael Yew scowls and asks, "A spy?"

Percy tells us about his mission on the _Princess Andromeda. _

Silena, who is sitting next to me, starts to cry. I put my arm around her. Her boyfriend is dead. I can only be grateful that Percy is still alive, no matter that an ancient prophecy clearly states that one of his stupid choices will kill him.

"Well," Connor Stoll says uncomfortably. "We've suspected there might be a spy for years, right? Somebody kept passing the information to Luke, like the location of the Golden Fleece a few years ago. It must be somebody who knew him well."

At the mention of Luke's name, my head snaps up in time to see Connor looking at _me_. Did he just imply that _I _was the spy? That little… I glare at him and he quickly diverts his gaze.

"Um, I mean, it could be anybody."

"Yes." Katie Gardner glares at the Stoll brothers. "Like one of Luke's siblings."

Travis, Connor and Katie start bickering.

Silena speaks so suddenly that I jump. "Stop!" she hits the table with the palm of her hand, and her hot chocolate tips over. The steaming drink splatters on my leg and I wince. "Charlie's dead and… and you're all arguing like little kids!" She puts her head down and begins to sob.

Hot chocolate trickles into my lap and a dark patch begins to spread on my jeans. I frown. It's really, _really _hot.

"She's right," Pollux says at last. "Accusing each other doesn't help. We need to keep our eyes open for the silver scythe charm. If Kronos has one, the spy probably does too."

It's logical thinking for a son of the god who invented the drink that muddles your brain. Even _I _didn't think of that.

Michael Yew grunts. "We need to find this spy before we plan our next operation. Blowing up the _Princess Andromeda _won't stop Kronos forever."

"No, indeed," Chiron says. "In fact, his next assault is already on the way."

Percy scowls like somebody just poked him between the eyes. "You mean the 'bigger threat' that Poseidon mentioned?"

Oh, great. Percy always asks the wrong questions at the wrong times. Chiron and I exchange looks, having a silent conversation that goes something like this:

Chiron: _It's time_

Me: _You sure?_

Chiron: _He has to know_

I nod my assent.

"Percy," Chiron says ominously. "We didn't want to tell you until you returned to camp. You needed a break with your… mortal friends." I can't stop the blush that adorns my face. I know very well that he had been hanging out with his red headed friend Rachel. And it kinda hurts, truth be told, that he picked _her _over me.

"Tell me what's happened," Percy says.

Chiron picks up a bronze goblet from the snacks table. He summons an Iris Message, and an image appears in the steam.

I can hear a reporter talking about the volcanic eruption Percy had caused last year in Mount Saint Helens. I thought of the final moments before the volcano exploded, when I thought he was going to die and I had kissed him. Like, _on the lips. _I wonder if he remembers that, or if it just slipped his memory in the general chaos of washing up on Calypso's island, and preparing for the war and stuff.

I turn back to the Iris Message, trying desperately to forget about Percy and I. A giant is rising from the bosom of Mount Saint Helens. Typhon.

"It's him." Percy says simply. "Typhon." Well done, Percy. Maybe my coaching is improving his knowledge of Ancient Greek mythology.

All the senior counsellors are looking grim. Chiron nods to Percy's statement. "The most horrible monster of all, the biggest single threat the gods ever faced. He has been freed from under the mountain at last. But this scene is from two days ago. _Here _is what is happening now."

At a wave of the centaur's hand, the image changes and we see Typhon wreaking havoc on a small country out in the Midwest.

Something must have finally knocked some sense into Percy's head, because just now he squints at the Iris Message and asks incredulously, "Are those… the gods?"

"Yes, Percy," Chiron says. "They have been fighting him for days now, trying to slow him down. But Typhon is marching forward- towards New York. Towards Olympus."

Percy lets that sink in before saying, "How long until he gets here?"

Chills run up and down my spine. It's August 13th. That means that in five days, when the prophecy is foretold to take place, Percy turns sixteen…

"Unless the gods can stop him?" Chiron asks. "Perhaps five days. Most of the Olympians are there… except your father, who has a war of his own to fight."

"But then who's guarding Olympus?"

Connor Stoll shakes his head and speaks, startling me. I had forgotten that there are other people in the room besides me, Percy and Chiron. "If Typhon gets to New York, it won't matter who's guarding Olympus."

"It's a trick," Percy says. "We have to warn the gods. Something else is going to happen."

It _does _make sense. Distract the gods with Typhon, then sneak a lithe Death Squad into Mount Olympus when nobody's paying attention. Sounds just like something Kronos the Slimy Weasel would do.

Chiron looks at Percy gravely. "Something worse than Typhon? I hope not."

"We have to defend Olympus," Percy insists. "Kronos has another attack planned.

"He did," Travis Stoll reminds him. "But you sank his ship."

Everyone is looking at Percy, even me, waiting to see what he is going do. Percy glances at me, and something flashes in his eyes. It hit me then: what if the mission to blow up the _Princess Andromeda _was a ploy? Then we would lower our guard and allow Mr Sneaky Kronos right past our defences.

Then that means that Beckendorf had sacrificed himself for nothing. Nobody with a sympathetic bone in their body would say that in front of Silena, though.

"Maybe you're right," Percy says, obviously unconvinced.

"Well," Chiron clears his throat. "I think that's enough for one night," and everyone is dismissed.

I make my way to my cabin and settle down for the night in my bed. I try to brush my ratty hair, but it's so knotty and scraggly that I can't be bothered. I simply tie it up. I'll do something about it tomorrow.

Dread settles in the pit of my stomach.

Today, I found out that:

1) Percy might die in the next five days,

2) My old best friend is about to destroy the world, and

3) My hair is impossible to manage when it hasn't been washed in a couple of days.

I roll over, close my eyes, and hope against hope that dreams don't plague me.

With my luck, it's a lost cause, but it can't hurt to hope.

**Hi guys. I'm sorry it's so boring. Things will get better :)**

**Hope you all have a great Christmas, and that Santa brings lots of goodies! **

**Thanks for reading,**

**MashPotatoeSquishBanana**


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